The team of nine Master of Interior Architecture students are pitching designs for a New Zealand-themed room at the Diplomatic Academy of Viet Nam (DAV) in Hanoi, a longstanding partner of both the University and the New Zealand Embassy.

A New Zealand room is one of several country rooms proposed for a new building at the DAV, Viet Nam’s premier university for training its diplomatic officials. Given the DAV’s close links with foreign embassies in Hanoi, the building is likely to be used as a venue for functions for visiting dignitaries from a variety of countries, as well as being used for teaching. New Zealand’s connections with Viet Nam were therefore front of mind for students as they worked on their design solutions.

This project strengthens the University’s longstanding partnership with the DAV, whereby their students have the opportunity to come to the Wellington Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences to study for part of their degree. Out of this has come a group of Te Herenga Waka alumni within the Vietnamese foreign service as well as a higher profile for the University across government agencies and more widely in Viet Nam.

“We are delighted to see these sorts of creative collaborations reinforcing existing connections and creating new opportunities for our students to engage with international partners in ways that will refresh and sustain their own personal and academic development, as well as Wellington’s global–civic university orientation,” says Rebecca Needham, assistant vice-chancellor, international engagement.

The New Zealand room needs to represent Kiwi culture and design, giving the students an opportunity to showcase what’s remarkable about Aotearoa’s interior architecture.

The students were given a brief and rose to the challenge by proposing a wide range of design concepts. The project gave them a valuable insight into practice, and the many moving parts in projects like this, including the opportunity for client engagement through Zoom calls with the New Zealand Embassy in Viet Nam.

One of the students, Lucia Graham, spent two years living in Viet Nam when she was growing up. “This project was an interesting opportunity to use my personal knowledge to create a space to facilitate a positive bilateral relationship between New Zealand and Viet Nam,” she says.

“The process made me recognise the importance of an interior in illustrating the ethos and values of a brand—in this case New Zealand was the brand—creating a strong narrative through the use of materials rather than ornament; using materials and colours that mimic Aotearoa’s landscapes, which helps to teach our sustainability values of protecting and being a guardian to our environment.”

Materials proposed in Lucia’s design include native New Zealand timbers such as tōtara, as well as wool fibre. Colour will also be introduced through the use of natural paint in green and yellow tones that would be found in the New Zealand forest.

Another student, Sarah Freeman, says she relished the opportunity to experience what it's like working with an international client, as well as meeting the challenge of designing an interior that suitably represents New Zealand’s culture.

“Through working on this project, I’ve deepened my understanding of the importance of materials; where they come from, what effect they have on the environment, and how they impact the occupants’ experience of a space.”

Students have presented their first design iterations to the embassy and, taking on board the critique and feedback, are producing detailed designs to fit different budget considerations.

Joseph Mayhew, New Zealand chargé d’affaires to Viet Nam, says he has been highly impressed by what he’s seen of the students’ design ideas.

“I think they’ve done a remarkable job of interpreting the brief and showcasing the many unique connections between New Zealand and Viet Nam cultures, values, and identity. The New Zealand and Viet Nam relationship is going from strength to strength, and it’s fantastic to see these connections come through in the designs.”

Final designs will be presented to the embassy in Viet Nam later this year. Originally, it was planned to be a joint live session, but due to COVID-19 alert level changes in Aotearoa, the students will now present their work via an edited compilation video. The Wellington School of Architecture still plans to make an event of it and give the students a chance to present live to an audience in New Zealand later in the year.

“At this stage, it is an ideas competition for the embassy,” explains Andre Brown, head of the Wellington School of Architecture. “But we really hope that our students’ novel and creative thinking will spark the desire to fund the project. We really hope to see one of our students’ designs becoming a reality in the near future.”